Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1887-06-04

Mcclure was unable TO pay the hall
rent, and the proprietor held his pic
lures as security,
There is a little town a few miles be.
yond Kalamazoo on the Michigan Gem
trail railroad. Immediately after the
close of my lecture at Kalamazoo Nc
CURE gave me thirty-iive cents to pay
my fare to this town so that | might
distribute the handbillS Of the pano-
ramic exhibition. He did not then
know hat his appliances would be
held, left toward midnight, and that
was the last | cycr saw of the pano-
rama and its proprietor.
| secured the little hall contained in
the town, and distributed printed adj
vertisementS, The trains came, but no
panorama. Two days thus passed,
when a letter from Mcclure informed
me that he was about to return to Da-
venport to obtain some more money,
and that he would come back in a few
days,
When, after some time mad elapsed,
and the promised panorama did not
come, | began to feel my situation en-
~barrassing. The hotel proprietor had
ace opted my explanation of a lack of
funds, and readily agreed to await the
arrival of Mcclure. At the end of a
week matters began to change. There
was no Mcclure, and | was not the
posscSSor of u single nickel. ! was
ashamed to write for assistance to any
of my friends; in fact, could think of
none of them that would probably re-
spond to a request for money, under
the circumstances. | became despond-
cnt; my bright promises of IL year be-
fore had all faded, and | felt myself an
absolute failure, | was a wrctched
c~astaway in a strange region without a
friend, or resource, or hope.
One day, when sitting in 4 bowling,
alley, and watching a game between a
couple of local experts, Il stranger
entered, and, after looking around in
an indifferent manner, finally, as if by
accident, dropped into the seat adjoin.
ing mine. Some peculiar stroke 10y
one of the players elected u remark
from me, to which he responded. Thi,
grew into a conversation, and laterintC
an intimacy Hcwas Il tall man, about
thirty years of age, with Il smooth
open face, keen brown eyes, dark hair,
and Il physique indicating grea'
strength. He was very sociable in hi'
methods, treating freely at 1.-THE bar, anC
had at his command Il large supply o
money, especially in the shape of golC
coin, a handful of which he was in tn,
habit of pulling from his pocket whel
he had to pay for some purchase.
He seemed to take n liking for me
He cultivated my acquaintance. II
had been about the world n good deal
and knew many curious people an,
wonderful things. In my loneliness h
was u welcome distraction, and | be
came attached to him and we were in
scparable.
One bright Sabbath he invited me t.
take II walk into the country. w
strolled along the wagon road for
mile or so,and then turned into a mead
ow, near the center of which was
large tree. To this he led the way,an
when we reached it we sat down With
the grateful shade. My companio
seemed unusually happy. His idea
ran on tho -ilcndors of wealth, III
glory of travel. the favoro of bo""tif'
women and other matters kindred i
their roocato suggestions. At lengt
his thoughts driftcd insensibly, as
were, into the far East. He seemed fl
miliar with ancient history and wit
the legends of the fabulous wealth
the Oriental rulers and princes, of the
: excuses, their amours and their III,
urious designations.
$ He related many curious legend
. among which Solomon was a princip
figure. Finally he told me the folloN
ing:
"Somc fifty years ago there was
traveller engaged in examining Il
!, ruins of the temple in Jerusalem.
was a man of great learning, especial
" in antiquarian history and in chem.
try. For many weeks he search
~ through the foundations of the tempt
carefully examining every foot of
:. accessible surface. He consulted &c
I, stantly during his search Il small d
gram made up of puzzling lines.
" "One day, in a remote recess viii
he discovered, and whose entrance h
u apparently been concealed for ages,
-, closely examined the walls, and on o
!; of them found some mysterious char;
tiers. The moment he saw these
y, commenced a minute inspection Of t
" floor, in one corner of which. after
" long examination, he found imbedd
~ in the stone an iron ring"
To make the story brief, he said Il
the old MAJ discovered Il narrow sto
!, stairway beneath the stone in viii
the iron ring was fixed, and at the b
ii tom a small apartment in which wa
=, chest from which he took II metal pli
Of engraved with hieroglyphics. This
concealed about his person, and If
carefully replacing the stone and fill
:, up the entrance to the recess with II
,s bish, he disappeared.
~ "Well, whatever became of him?
asked, ''and what was the mysteriC
he plate?'
He looked sli around as if tn,
Of might bea listener, and then whisper,
te at was a recipe of n formula for
making of gold"
IN "And the old man, what of him?'
he "Sce here, let me tell you sor
ut thing and here his voice sank so ]
IL as to be almost indistinguishable. "
he in the peninsula of Michigan, in a pl
ed surrounded for miles with rocks ;
A timber, there lives n man so old I
he nobody can guess his age. He